Wolverhampton
Date of Review: 2nd December 2024
RCA Reviewers: The Doctor, & Mr Shrewdy
Address: Dunstall Park, Gorsebrook Rd, Wolverhampton WV6 0PE
Website: https://www.wolverhampton-racecourse.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WolverhamptonRacecourse/
Email: info@wolverhampton-racecourse.co.uk
Phone: 01902 390000
Accommodation: https://www.wolverhampton-racecourse.co.uk/holiday-inn-hotel
Track Layout: (Image acknowledged & credited to Timeform & At The Races)
Course Information: Wolverhampton Racecourse is an all-weather surface (Tapeta), left-handed, oval-shaped racecourse around one mile in circumference. It is pan-flat with tight turns. The track has two chutes: the first one is at the beginning of the back straight for the six-furlong and the one-mile, six-furlong races, and the second one is positioned on the turn at the end of the home straight for the seven-furlong and the one-mile, six-and-a half furlong races. It has a short straight of just under two furlongs to the winning post.
Due to the sharp turns and the short run to the post, the course suits short-striding horses who like to race prominently rather than horses that prefer to be held up and come from the rear. A low, inside draw can be favourable in the shorter five-furlong races as there is a relatively short run to the first bend. It all changes in the seven-furlong races, which commence from a chute on the top of the bend, where a low or inside draw brings the possibility of being tight for room as the horses drawn wider come across immediately after jumping out of the starting stalls. That being said, it is generally considered to be a well-laid-out and fair track.
The Racecourse Advisor Guide to Wolverhampton Racecourse:
Wolverhampton Racecourse is located on over 100 acres of grassland but is only one mile from the city centre. It is owned by the Arena Racing Company and is the only racecourse in the West Midlands. The Dunstall Park facility is also the busiest track in the country, holding around eighty fixtures all year round. It is famous for its popular evening meetings in the winter months, which are held under floodlights.
The two feature races are the Lincoln Trial, a valuable handicap race over a mile, and the Lady Wulfruna Stakes, a Listed race over seven furlongs. Famous classic winners Muhannak and Conduit both won here before going on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic in the USA and The Toast of New York, who also won here, went on to win the UAE Derby and was pipped on the post into second place also in the Breeders’ Cup.
Location Map - Wolverhampton Racecourse Course History:
Wolverhampton has a long history of horse racing, holding both flat and National Hunt fixtures over the years. The first recorded races are dated back to 1825 in the Broad Meadows area. Racing was moved to the current racecourse site in 1888.
In July 1962, it became Britain's first floodlit racecourse and held Britain's first Saturday night racing fixture. In 1993, a major investment was made in building a new modern grandstand and installing a Fibresand all-weather course, which took place with the existing turf track. In 1994, HRH Queen Elizabeth II re-opened the new racecourse, and the owners decided to move completely to all-weather fixtures in 2004.
Course Access:
By Road: The racecourse is located close to the city centre and also Molineux Stadium, the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, so the area can get very busy with traffic. However, the course is exceptionally well-signed regardless of what direction you come from, which is extremely helpful. When turning off the A449 at the roundabout towards Dunstall Park, you first go through an industrial estate and then turn right onto a housing estate before finally arriving at the course.
From the North, exit the M6 at Junction 10A and join the M54. Continue to Junction 2 and join the A449 towards Wolverhampton. Continue for approximately three miles straight over four roundabouts. Continue past the viaduct on the right-hand side, and at the next roundabout, turn right onto Gorsebrook Road. Continue for 400 yards, passing under the viaduct, and turn right. The racecourse is situated at the end of the road.
From the South, exit the M6 at Junction 11 and join the A460 towards Wolverhampton. Join the M54 at Junction 1 Westbound. Continue to Junction 2 and join the A449 towards Wolverhampton. Continue for approximately three miles straight over four roundabouts. Continue past the viaduct on the right-hand side, and at the next roundabout, turn right onto Gorsebrook Road. Continue for 400 yards, passing under the viaduct, and turn right. The racecourse is situated at the end of the road.
By Rail: The nearest station is Wolverhampton Station (connected to Birmingham New Street station), which is only one mile from the Racecourse. So, a fifteen-minute walk or a short taxi ride to the racecourse.
By Air: The nearest airports to Wolverhampton Racecourse are Birmingham (BHX), 28 miles. East Midlands Airport (EMA) 53 miles. Manchester Airport (MAN) 69 miles. Liverpool (LPL) is 85 miles, and London Luton (LTN) is 102 miles. The racecourse has an onsite Helipad if you are lucky enough to be able to arrive by helicopter. Contact the racecourse for further information. Rating: 7/10.
Parking: The first thing you see when you arrive at the racecourse is the Holiday Inn Hotel, which is owned by the racecourse (they hold the hotel franchise), and it is one and the same place.
The Car Park – Wolverhampton Racecourse
After you enter through the access barrier, there is a car park for the hotel immediately outside the main entrance, and behind that is another huge, free, concreted car parking area for the racecourse with over 1,500 spaces. It is then a short walk to either the main racecourse entrance, which is used on busy days, or the hotel entrance, which is used on the less busy fixtures as the entrance. Rating: 10/10.
Pricing: The day of our visit was a Monday evening fixture held under the flood lights. It was a flat, all-weather, nine-race card (there are not many of those!) featuring one Class 3 race, one Class 4 race, two Class 5 races, and five Class 6 races. Entrance into the course on the day was £17.50. However, if purchased online in advance, tickets could be had for £12.50. Which, for a nine-race card, is pretty good. There are concessions of a £5.00 reduction for the over 60s and students.
Several hospitality upgrades were available, such as the “Dining@Dunstall Package”, which gives you admission, a three-course buffet, guaranteed seating on a private table and a racecard for the cost of £57.50. However, when booking any hospitality tickets ARC Ltd still insist on applying “transaction charges” and automatically adds another £1.44 for no particular reason, so the real price is £58.94. Why not just be upfront with your customers and add the “transaction fee” to the ticket price, so the initial price you see is the price you pay? It would be far easier and much more honest.
There were also several options for a private box for between 12 and 32 guests, ranging in price from £93.00 to £175.00 per person, depending on the level of hospitality you chose. However, once again, a “transaction fee” is added to the price of each ticket.
Racecard: The card was 32 pages as it was a nine-race meeting, and the cost was £3.50. That's about all we can say. It was light on advertising and just contained the runners and riders lifted from Timeform. An introductory welcome said there was a 'wide variety of food and beverage outlets’… including some new additions for us to savour. I’m not sure we found those; no layout map was included to enable this to happen. Rating: 9/10.
Catering: Here at Racecourse Advisor, we enjoy doing “racecourse reviews” rather than restaurant reviews. We do not pretend to be food critics. We aim to give you an overall idea of what culinary options and prices are available at the track on race days.
The Grandstand Enclosure, the main hub of the racecourse, has a large food court and concourse on the ground floor. The Dunstall Bar was the only outlet serving food besides the Holiday Inn hotel. There was a decent selection on offer, such as a beefburger, cheeseburger, chickenburger, or a moving mountain burger for £8.50 each. A portion of fries was £4.00, and Dirty fries were £5.50. Margherita and pepperoni pizzas are £12.50 each, and a roast pork bap is £6.00. Steak & ale, chicken, gammon & leek, sweet potato, spinach & coconut curry pies for £6.00 and a serving of mash, peas and gravy for £3.00. Here, they have a “pay & collect” service, where you order your food and receive a token with a number on it. The food is then prepared in a separate kitchen and brought over to the counter when ready, and your number is called out for you to go and collect it. Our reviewers did sample the steak & ale and the chicken, gammon and leek pies with peas and gravy, and we must say they were delicious!
The Food Court & Concourse – Wolverhampton Racecourse (top right: Chasers Bar. Bottom Right: The Dunstall Bar)
There are two bars in the Food Court: the Weigh Inn bar at the far end, which was closed, and Chasers Bar, which is located at the opposite end. Here, they had a pint of Carlsberg or Somersby apple cider for £5.95, Hobgoblin IPA for £6.40, Somersby Blackberry for £6.55, and draught Guinness for £6.90 a pint. Bottles of Corona (330 ml) for £5.40 and Koppaberg Mixed Fruit (500 ml) for £6.00. A bottle of non-alcoholic San Miguel (330 ml) was £5.10, and a bottle of Koppaberg Strawberry & lime (500 ml) was £5.95. All wines were £6.00 a glass (187 ml) or £26.00 a bottle. Prosecco at £8.00 a glass or £39.00 a bottle. All spirits were £4.80 a shot (25 ml) When it comes to seating, there is plenty!
There are wooden tables and padded chairs on the concourse itself, and there is also a very large function room that is open to the general public.
The Function Room in the Concourse – Wolverhampton Racecourse
Again, there are padded seats and large tables. This room also has two large screens on the walls, so you can watch the racing while eating and drinking if you prefer. The Premier Enclosure, located right next to the winner's enclosure, contains the Sunbeam restaurant, one of the course's main hospitality areas.
The Sunbeam Restaurant (left) and Horizons Restaurant (Right) – Wolverhampton Racecourse
We popped in for a quick look and were impressed. We also stuck our heads into the Horizon restaurant, which was hosting the owners and trainers that evening. It looked very nice, too.
On the day of our visit, the catering outlets on the course were limited. However, they were more than adequate for the crowd in attendance on a Monday evening. Our food was good, and the pricing was more than reasonable. There is also a bar and restaurant in the Holiday Inn, which is also open to the general public. It has a decent selection of food, including pizzas, burgers, fish and chips, and a range of sandwiches. Rating: 6/10.
Guinness Standard: We sampled the draught Guinness served at the Chasers Bar and were more than happy. It was nicely chilled and a decent pint of the black stuff. At £6.90 a pint, it was also one of the lowest-priced pints of Guinness we have had on a racecourse in recent times. Rating: 8/10.
Viewing: The viewing experience at Wolverhampton Racecourse is genuinely excellent.
The Premier (on the left) & Grandstand Viewing Enclosures – Wolverhampton Racecourse
The main Grandstand is huge. It has two levels with tiered concrete terracing from top to bottom. There are no seats in this area. There is cover, but it only extends over the second tier. However, the stand is so large that shelter from the elements wouldn’t be a problem if it is required. The Premier Enclosure is where the hospitality is housed at the right-hand side of the enclosure (looking towards the track), with the winners' enclosure immediately in front of it. The Grandstand Enclosure is on the left, with a large concourse in front that separates it from the racecourse itself.
The track is pan flat, and there are no bushes or trees to obstruct your view, so you can see the horses 100% of the time when they are running. The only blind spot from the Grandstand is the start of the seven-furlong races, where they start from a chute. However, it is a matter of seconds before the horses come into view. There is also a very large permanent screen around the half-furlong point. The overall viewing experience at Wolverhampton is one the best we have seen at any racecourse we have visited previously. Rating: 10/10.
Parade Ring / Winners Enclosure: The parade ring is located at the back of the main stand and directly in front of the hotel entrance to the racecourse.
The Parade Ring – Wolverhampton Racecourse
It is in the shape of an Ellipse with a white running rail all the way around it. Viewing is available all the way around, and the horses enter and exit the ring via a chute that runs from the racecourse. There is no seating or raised viewing platforms, but the overall viewing experience, in our opinion, is very good.
The weighing room is positioned in the grandstand and has two different entrance and exit points, which is something we haven’t seen before. The jockeys come out of the back of the stand into the parade ring when mounting and go into the weighing room on the other side at the front of the stand after racing and dismounting.
There is a small pre-parade ring. However, it requires some hunting down. It is located on the right-hand side of the Premier Enclosure opposite the main stables area. If you do manage to find it, then you might be a tad disappointed, as it's not the prettiest part of the racecourse, that’s for sure.
The Pre-Parade Ring – Wolverhampton Racecourse
The winners' enclosure is nowhere near the parade ring, which is a little unusual and different to most other courses we have visited, but in a positive way. It is located immediately next to the track, just past the winning post. As soon as the race finishes, you can walk straight from the stand down to the ring in a matter of seconds to see the horses and connections enter.
The Winners Enclosure – Wolverhampton Racecourse
It is rectangular in shape, and once again the viewing is very good. There is full access on three sides, and you can get very close up and personal with the horses, jockeys, and connections. Rating: 8/10.
Bookmakers / Betting Facilities: Another first for us was seeing the on-course bookmakers located inside the concourse and not outside on the rail.
Bookmakers & Betting Shop – Wolverhampton Racecourse
During winter, the bookies are inside, and in the summer, they are outside, which, again, we think is a great idea. Only seven bookmakers were in attendance on the day of our visit; however, for a winter Monday night fixture, this was more than enough. At the top end of the concourse, close to the bookmakers, there is a large William Hill concession and a large Tote counter. Placing a bet and picking up is no problem. Rating: 8/10.
Friendliness of Course Staff: All of the staff at Wolverhampton were friendly, helpful and chatty. We also got introduced to Anthony Gledhill, the General Manager of the racecourse, and Tony Hayle, who very kindly gave us a chunk of their time on what was a busy night for them to explain some of the features of the racecourse and also the significant future investment that is imminent and the exciting plans they have for Wolverhampton Racecourse going forward. Which was highly appreciated. And also a big thanks to the security staff who allowed us to take pictures of the parade ring and other areas from some excellent vantage points. Rating: 10/10.
Pros & Cons: The racecourse is just over three miles away from the M54. Traffic can be heavy at times, but it is very well-signed, and you should have no problem finding it. The free parking is excellent and plentiful immediately outside the entrance.
The price of tickets is good. If purchased in advance, £12.50 for a nine-race card is more than fair. The only issue we have is the unnecessary “transaction charges” when booking any of the hospitality options; they really do need to be knocked on the head. The headline price you see on the website should be the price you pay. Just include the additional charges in the price and be upfront about it.
The overall viewing experience at Wolverhampton is excellent and one of the best we have seen.
The catering on the day of our visit was limited in range but good in quality, and it's important to note that the Holiday Inn has a full range of meals and snacks available to the general public in comfortable surroundings.
The parade ring and winners' enclosure offer excellent access and viewing, and you can get close up and personal with the horses and jockeys, which is always a positive.
The staff at Wolverhampton are great, and the racecourse overall has a lot going for it.
As always with our reviews, the big question is: Would we return to Wolverhampton Racecourse? The answer is a definite yes. We had a very enjoyable evening of racing and think a meeting here in the spring or summer months would be an ideal way to spend a day out. Rating: 7/10.
VIP Watch: No VIPs of any note were seen on the day.
Wi-Fi / Internet Connection: We had no problem getting online via the Racecourse App, which worked perfectly. You can also log on as a guest to the Holiday Inn wi-fi service, which also worked fine.
Overall Racecourse Advisor Rating: 8.3/10.
The full day's racing results can be found here: https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/meeting/2024-12-02/wolverhampton/108755
Facilities & Location Layout of Wolverhampton Racecourse (Image acknowledged & credited to ARC Ltd.)
Aerial View of Wolverhampton Racecourse (Image acknowledged & credited to Google Earth)
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